Strengthening CU Denver's Future in Downtown Denver
May 13, 2026
Dear Lynx community,
Over the past 16 months, I’ve had the opportunity to hear a wide range of viewpoints from across our community through shared governance and in conversations with faculty, staff, and students. During that period, consistent themes emerged around how our university is organized, both operationally and physically, and how the limitations of our current approaches and footprint are shaping our ability to educate our learners, advance research, and grow in ways that best serve our community and our city.
These priorities are reflected throughout our Strategic Plan Refresh, particularly in the Organizational Excellence and Innovation core principle, which calls on us to continuously strengthen the systems, processes, and services that enable us to operate at our best and support learner success.
CU Denver occupies a uniquely complex physical footprint, spanning a shared campus as well as university-owned assets on the east side of Speer Boulevard. As the university has evolved in scale and activity, I have consistently heard that our current footprint has become increasingly difficult to align with our academic priorities, research enterprise, and long-term ambitions.
This has become more pressing in recent years as learner demand and program growth have expanded within a footprint that has not kept pace in both capacity and functionality. This is reflected in our ability to support students and employees in their day-to-day work and in strengthening the core functions of the university.
These perspectives have not come from a single conversation but from many over an extended period. They reflect a shared understanding that our physical environment plays a critical role in the success of our university and those we serve.
Against this backdrop, CU Denver has been actively evaluating real estate opportunities that could help address some of these challenges and better position the university for the future. As you may have seen in local media outlets this past week, this includes the potential acquisition of Independence Plaza, a building complex in Denver’s Central Business District. This evaluation remains in a due diligence phase and, because of the confidential and sensitive nature of this work, details have been closely held—so we recognize this news may come as a surprise.
If we were to move forward, the acquisition would be facilitated by the University of Colorado Foundation on behalf of CU Denver and funded through central one-time funds and reserves that had originally been allocated for the potential engineering building. As such, it would not impact school, college, or unit-level budgets, nor tuition, which remains under the authority of the Board of Regents.
Strategically, this opportunity would further strengthen the CU Denver learner experience and research enterprise by positioning our students, employees, and academic programs closer to the employers, industries, and innovative ecosystems that anchor opportunity across the Rocky Mountain region. It would expand access to internships, co-ops, and other career-connected learning experiences, including potential co-location with industry partners. It would also broaden access for working professionals and adult learners, further aligning our academic model with the evolving needs of the regional economy.
Locating a portion of CU Denver’s physical infrastructure in the heart of downtown also reinforces our role and responsibility as the Denver metro area’s anchor higher education partner, as articulated in our Strategic Plan Refresh. The success of our city and our university are inextricably linked, and this opportunity would allow us to meaningfully contribute to the revitalization of downtown Denver and the broader metro area—both socially and economically.
This exploration represents an important step in CU Denver’s evolution—prioritizing learner demand, strengthening research engagement, and expanding career-connected opportunities that position our students for long-term success. Importantly, it does not change our ongoing presence and investment as a core institution of the Auraria Campus, nor our longstanding commitment to the 9th Street Historic Park and its residences.
We will continue to gather input from the university community throughout this due diligence process, ensuring that perspectives shared across our institution continue to shape how this effort is evaluated and refined as it progresses. Should we decide to move forward, we will develop a structured process for collecting input from academic and central administrative units, as well as faculty, students, and staff on how this facility supports teaching, research, engagement, and student success. As a campus, we will also develop a comprehensive plan for how we reconfigure our broader physical footprint.
I look forward to engaging with the campus community on this exciting endeavor that has the potential to reshape how we help our students and employees meet their moment at CU Denver, and I welcome your early perspectives and feedback.
Over the past 16 months, I’ve had the opportunity to hear a wide range of viewpoints from across our community through shared governance and in conversations with faculty, staff, and students. During that period, consistent themes emerged around how our university is organized, both operationally and physically, and how the limitations of our current approaches and footprint are shaping our ability to educate our learners, advance research, and grow in ways that best serve our community and our city.
These priorities are reflected throughout our Strategic Plan Refresh, particularly in the Organizational Excellence and Innovation core principle, which calls on us to continuously strengthen the systems, processes, and services that enable us to operate at our best and support learner success.
CU Denver occupies a uniquely complex physical footprint, spanning a shared campus as well as university-owned assets on the east side of Speer Boulevard. As the university has evolved in scale and activity, I have consistently heard that our current footprint has become increasingly difficult to align with our academic priorities, research enterprise, and long-term ambitions.
This has become more pressing in recent years as learner demand and program growth have expanded within a footprint that has not kept pace in both capacity and functionality. This is reflected in our ability to support students and employees in their day-to-day work and in strengthening the core functions of the university.
These perspectives have not come from a single conversation but from many over an extended period. They reflect a shared understanding that our physical environment plays a critical role in the success of our university and those we serve.
Against this backdrop, CU Denver has been actively evaluating real estate opportunities that could help address some of these challenges and better position the university for the future. As you may have seen in local media outlets this past week, this includes the potential acquisition of Independence Plaza, a building complex in Denver’s Central Business District. This evaluation remains in a due diligence phase and, because of the confidential and sensitive nature of this work, details have been closely held—so we recognize this news may come as a surprise.
If we were to move forward, the acquisition would be facilitated by the University of Colorado Foundation on behalf of CU Denver and funded through central one-time funds and reserves that had originally been allocated for the potential engineering building. As such, it would not impact school, college, or unit-level budgets, nor tuition, which remains under the authority of the Board of Regents.
Strategically, this opportunity would further strengthen the CU Denver learner experience and research enterprise by positioning our students, employees, and academic programs closer to the employers, industries, and innovative ecosystems that anchor opportunity across the Rocky Mountain region. It would expand access to internships, co-ops, and other career-connected learning experiences, including potential co-location with industry partners. It would also broaden access for working professionals and adult learners, further aligning our academic model with the evolving needs of the regional economy.
Locating a portion of CU Denver’s physical infrastructure in the heart of downtown also reinforces our role and responsibility as the Denver metro area’s anchor higher education partner, as articulated in our Strategic Plan Refresh. The success of our city and our university are inextricably linked, and this opportunity would allow us to meaningfully contribute to the revitalization of downtown Denver and the broader metro area—both socially and economically.
This exploration represents an important step in CU Denver’s evolution—prioritizing learner demand, strengthening research engagement, and expanding career-connected opportunities that position our students for long-term success. Importantly, it does not change our ongoing presence and investment as a core institution of the Auraria Campus, nor our longstanding commitment to the 9th Street Historic Park and its residences.
We will continue to gather input from the university community throughout this due diligence process, ensuring that perspectives shared across our institution continue to shape how this effort is evaluated and refined as it progresses. Should we decide to move forward, we will develop a structured process for collecting input from academic and central administrative units, as well as faculty, students, and staff on how this facility supports teaching, research, engagement, and student success. As a campus, we will also develop a comprehensive plan for how we reconfigure our broader physical footprint.
I look forward to engaging with the campus community on this exciting endeavor that has the potential to reshape how we help our students and employees meet their moment at CU Denver, and I welcome your early perspectives and feedback.
